Champions crowned at first IGHSAU girls wrestling state meet

Waverly-Shell Rock claims team title

By Dana Becker | Photos by Matthew Putney 

Raccoon River-Northwest freshman Katie Biscoglia is the first IGHSAU girls state wrestling champion, taking the 100-pound title Friday night. 

Katie Biscoglia will go down in the history books as the first-ever Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state champion, winning the 100-pound title Friday night inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville.

The Raccoon River-Northwest freshman downed Osage’s Gable Hemann, concluding her year with a perfect 46-0 record.

Waverly-Shell Rock also made history, as they won the overall team championship with Kiara Djoumessi earning her own title and four others securing medals.

The Go-Hawks racked up 123 points to claim the team title over East Buchanan and Decorah, with Council Bluffs Lewis Central and Osage rounding out the Top 5.

Last year at an unsanctioned state meet, Waverly-Shell Rock won team gold.

Biscoglia, the sister of three-time state champion and current University of Northern Iowa wrestler Kyle Biscoglia, was one of 14 individual winners crowned.

Jillian Worthen of Union LaPorte City, Jasmine Luedtke from Ottumwa, Molly Allen of Riverside Oakland, Mackenzie Childers from Cedar Rapids Prairie, Lilly Luft of Charles City, Djoumessi, Emma Peach from Iowa Valley, Southeast Polk’s Skylar Slade, Naomi Simon of Decorah and Olivia Huckfelt of Spencer all finished the season atop the podium as unbeaten wrestlers.

Pleasant Valley’s Abigail Meyrer, Marley Elsbury from South Tama County and Mackenzie Arends from Nevada were the other individual winners.

The Go-Hawks received medals from Haidyn Snyder and Madison Hinrichs, who both reached the finals, while Lilly Stough and Eva Heise placed seventh. Djoumessi recorded four falls during her run, including a first period finish in 67 seconds to secure the championship.

Luft, who surpassed 100 career wins earlier this year, won her third state title, claiming the 130-pound bracket. The future University of Iowa Hawkeye finished 40-0 on the year and won 125 matches in all.

The 190-pound final between Arends and Jana TerWee of West Lyon went to the ultimate tiebreaker, with Arends, a sophomore, avenging a loss last year to TerWee, 1-0.

Simon is also a three-time champion and will have the chance to become the first-ever four-time winner next year. Peach won her second title in two years.

Luedtke twice qualified for the boys state tournament and was in the finals last year.